Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP / Getty Images
Vanessa Bryant learned of Kobe and Gianna’s death when a Family assistant knocked on the door and told him that the helicopter had had a crash, but that five people survived.
That and other details have come to light as a result of the legal process being followed by Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit against Los Angeles County for the photos of the accident scene taken by bailiffs of the Angelino Sheriff the 26 of January of 2020.
Transcription of a deposition via Zoom made this 13 October’s lawsuit against the county indicates that she learned of the tragedy around 11: 30 am . The helicopter crashed nearly two hours earlier on a Calabasas hill as Kobe, his daughter, and seven others were on their way to the Lakers legend-owned basketball academy in Thousand Oaks.
“She told me that there was an accident and that there were five survivors” , said Vanessa at the deposition as reported by USA Today and other media “And I asked him if Gianna and Kobe were okay. And she said she wasn’t sure. She did not know”.
The New York Times indicated this Saturday that after that first warning and not being able to communicate with her husband, Vanessa Bryant headed to John Wayne Airport , near his home in Newport Beach, to try to board another helicopter and travel to the scene of the accident, but that service was denied due to bad weather.
Then Vanessa met with Rob Pelinka, a close friend of Kobe and general manager of the Lakers, with whom she went by land to the Sheriff’s station closest to the crash site, according to testimony.
She never appeared that 26 of January of 2020 at the scene of the crash , where dozens of reporters and hundreds of fans came after the terrible news was announced.
In said e station, Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed that Kobe and Gianna had died. “And I said, ‘If you can’t bring my husband and baby back, please make sure no one takes pictures of them . Please secure the area ‘”, detailed New York Times .
“And he said, ‘I will.’ And I said, ‘No, I need you to pick up the phone right now and I need you to make sure the area is secured.’ ”
Months Following Kobe and Gianna’s deaths have been filled with obvious grief, legal battles and scandals for Vanessa, including a lawsuit filed by his own mother for alleged eviction from her home.